Valedictorian of 6th grade at Tran Dai Nghia School: Didn't take extra classes, almost sent back by school

(Dan Tri) - Without spending money on going to a foreign language center or taking exam preparation, Nguyen Thien Phuc still achieved impressive academic results and became the valedictorian of grade 6 at Tran Dai Nghia School.

No extra classes, no exam preparation

Nguyen Thien Phuc, a former student of Nguyen Thai Hoc Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, made an impression when he scored 96.5/100 points in the entrance exam to grade 6, Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School in 2024. This is the highest score of the exam with a competition ratio of up to 1/12.29. Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Luong Thi My Tien, Thien Phuc's mother, said that the family was very surprised when receiving her child's exam results. The mother said that after the exam, her child said that he did well on the test and predicted that he would get 95 points, however, she was also happy because the result was higher than expected. According to her mother, Thien Phuc was on a trip to visit his hometown in Tien Giang , so he received the news about his score very normally: "Oh, that's it" and continued to help his grandmother. Because studying for Phuc does not put too much pressure on his achievements. Ms. My Tien said that Phuc studies very leisurely. "Since childhood, Thien Phuc almost never participated in extra classes, exam preparation, or went to an English center. It was not until grade 5 that his parents enrolled him in a STEM center to improve his skills. The family did not let him take extra classes and did not put pressure on him," said Ms. Tien.

Nguyen Thien Phuc (right) received an award from Nguyen Thai Hoc Primary School, District 1 (Photo: School).

Parents want to train Thien Phuc in self-study skills. After school, when he comes home, he will mainly play, and when he likes something, he will learn more about it through books, newspapers, and the internet. When there are competitions that teachers guide him to participate in, parents will guide him on how to find more related documents. Through that, he can cultivate self-awareness and initiative skills to know what knowledge he needs to supplement and make plans to do it. "I think proactive learning is very necessary. Children need to learn the knowledge they need to know, and when they can't learn anymore, they will ask for guidance from teachers and seniors... I think that going to extra classes will create inertia, which is not good for the development of children's thinking," said the mother of valedictorian Tran Dai Nghia, 6th grade.

Interestingly, Thien Phuc loves to eat cakes, so every time he conquers a new challenge, his mother will give him his favorite cake. "Small gifts are an encouragement for him to see that his efforts are recognized and he receives the reward he loves," the mother shared. That method also makes the valedictorian actively complete his study tasks and then play freely. The family also sets a rule for the child to go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 6am to go to school.

"Almost sent back by school"

Thien Phuc's mother said that since he was a child, he has learned English by himself through family communication, watching science films, searching for documents on the internet, and playing English games. By the age of 3-4, he was able to communicate fluently in English. In addition, his parents let Phuc participate in a number of English competitions to further improve his skills. "Neither of Phuc's brothers have ever been to an English center, but their results are very good. At home, the two brothers speak English to each other and chat with their parents, so their parents save money on foreign language tuition," said Ms. Tien. To date, Thien Phuc has achieved the FCE Certificate (First Certificate in English, a general international English certificate issued by Cambridge Assessment English), level B2. Notably, in this exam, Phuc also achieved the highest score of 179 points with level B2.

Recalling a memory of her child's schooling, the mother shared that when he went to preschool, Phuc refused to speak Vietnamese because he preferred English. "The preschool teacher had to invite the parents to meet him three times and suggested transferring him to an international school because he refused to speak Vietnamese. At that time, I shared with the teacher my wish for him to speak Vietnamese and asked for her help. Gradually, he spoke both languages ​​well," Thien Phuc's mother said. Talking about her child's strengths, Ms. Luong Thi My Tien said that Thien Phuc was gifted in math and English. In an essay, Nguyen Thien Phuc wrote that he felt he had a special talent for foreign languages. Therefore, in the future, he wanted to become a foreign language teacher to be able to share his learning skills with his friends. Previously, Nguyen Thien Phuc was also admitted to grade 6 at Nguyen Van To Secondary School - the "hottest" secondary school in District 10.

Thien Phuc’s family does not pressure him to study extra or practice for exams to achieve good results. Outside of class, Phuc will study on his own and learn about the things he loves (Photo: Provided by the character).

Sharing about Thien Phuc, Ms. Tran Be Hong Hanh, Principal of Nguyen Thai Hoc Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, expressed her impression of the multi-talented student, who is good at both knowledge and enthusiastic in participating in activities and movements. "Thien Phuc is the school's Youth Union leader, participating in many competitions of the district and city. Teachers are very impressed with his academic and training achievements, a very good boy, good at all aspects and active in all activities from grade 1 to grade 5", Ms. Hanh said. The school's principal added that many other students of the school also achieved good academic results, were admitted to schools that organize admission exams for grade 6 but did not need to take extra classes. According to Ms. Hanh, the school and families organize many experiential activities for students, open learning, extracurricular exploration activities, through which, children learn practical knowledge, practice good thinking skills. "Students who study according to their interests will be more passionate, and have better results", the female principal revealed.

"Impressive" achievements of the "little" valedictorian Although he has only completed the primary school program, Nguyen Thien Phuc possesses a rich list of achievements: - Excellent Award, Bebras 2024 International Algorithmic Thinking Challenge Contest - Second Prize for Grade 5 in the whole city, City-level IOE Exam - First Prize, District-level Film Festival Contest - Encouragement Prize, National Internet English Olympic Contest - Title of "Uncle Ho's Good Nephew" at District level - Title of Outstanding Team Leader of District 1 - Title of "Little Hero of Diligence" - Students who have excellently completed their study and training contents.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thu-khoa-lop-6-truong-tran-dai-nghia-khong-hoc-them-suyt-bi-truong-tra-ve-20240710154921312.htm